


Bonds

by SamThySoul



Series: The Mirror Dividing The Worlds [2]
Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Demons, Mates, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Scenting, Sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-09-13 16:27:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9132226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamThySoul/pseuds/SamThySoul
Summary: Direct sequel of "Rin's Nightmare"The twins are left to face what it means to be mates...There is trouble at the Vatican, will the brothers be able to stay out of it?Will Satan come to the party, or leave the human affairs to the humans???





	1. Challenges Of The Heart

Yukio stood at the door of the old dorm, key to the cram school already inserted, just staring at the handle like it was taunting him. All he had to do was twist it, push the door open and walk through, and he would be on his way to teach his class. He had plenty of time, the lesson didn't start until four, it wasn't quite three o'clock, so he had just over an hour. Usually he liked going to teach the exwires, they were even on their way to their final exams, which would have had him beaming in pride. It was unusual for a class of exwires to potentially be prepared to face exams so soon, but with the amount of experience the group had acquired they were more than ready to graduate. However today there was one issue, yesterday he'd become a demon. Whilst that was not that big of a problem with his students, well, friends. It was the possibility of running into other exorcists that bothered him.

Being a well-respected exorcist, to suddenly be a demon was inevitably going to bring up questions about the suitably of his job. Questions of which he didn't wish to be subjected to… but still if he was going to move on with his life he had little choice. Luckily the weather was getting colder, and so, his uniform consisted of his exorcist coat; which he had his tail hidden under; and an accessory he didn't usually wear, even in the really cold months… a beanie. He had it pulled over his now pointed ears, hiding them from view. He was still debating turning the door handle when a hand came to rest on his shoulder.  
"Yukio, if you're not ready to do this today, then we can wait until tomorrow. I'm sure the others wouldn't mind if we had a substitute teacher for one day." Rin offered, ignoring the irony of his statement, due to how much of a hard ass Yukio had been when this was him all that time ago.

"No… Thank you Nii-san, but I need to do this now. Besides it's not the others I'm really worried about, as long as I can avoid the other staff I think I'll be okay." Rin nodded and Yukio worked up the courage to turn the handle. They walked into the familiar hallway, going through the door to the classroom. It was currently empty, as expected, not even Bon got here this early. They had perhaps ten minutes before the others started to arrive. Yukio unpacked his gear, getting out the content he'd prepared for the lesson. It was just a general lesson, summarising everything they'd learnt over the last couple of months, in preparation to build on that knowledge one final time before their exams. Rin came over again to check he was okay, as the others would arrive any minute. Yukio found himself breathing in deeply to try and calm his nerves. Only to catch the scent of his brother next to him, it had a calming effect, but it also made him uncomfortable, pulling away a couple of steps, against his instincts, Yukio nodded and looked over his pile of papers one last time.

There was a knock at the door and the Kyoto trio entered. Seeing the twins they all smiled and came over to them.  
"Good afternoon Rin, Okumura-Sensei." Konekomaru greeted. Yukio was about to say the same when Shima cut in.  
"Guys help me out here, I have a chance with Izumo right?" Shima seemed serious, and his eyes were determined. Although his pride looked like it had recently taken a blow too, so it could have been just… well… Shima, being Shima.  
"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm sorry man but she's never going to go for you." Bon stated coldly in a sigh.  
"Shut up, I want to hear what they think about it." Shima snapped.  
"Um… Sorry man, I'm with Bon on this one, eyebrows is just to up tight." Rin laughed.  
"I don't know Rin, Izumo might just need someone like Shima to lighten her up." Yukio suggested. "But I don't really know much about all that." He added, the air suddenly getting slightly awkward.  
"Come on, they've heard enough of this." Bon stated as he dragged Shima over to his seat. They stood there talking for a while, which basically just consisted of the other two scolding Shima's ridiculous fantasies.

The girls joined them not too much later, causing the boys to pretend like they were talking about a different topic. Izumo immediately let out an annoyed sigh at the commotion and went over to her seat. Shiemi came over to the twins, who were still at Yukio's desk. She looked more concerned as she came closer.  
"Yuki, I know it's cold outside, but it's boiling in here. Why do have such warm clothes on, you're not sick are you?"  
Yukio was drawn back by the statement and now that she'd said something, it was boiling in the classroom, sweat starting to pour down his face to meet her statement.  
"No I'm not sick Shiemi, everything is fine." Yukio looked a little worried.  
Rin sighed, taking his naïve tone on purpose, sensing Yukio needed a little push. "You know, we're in the classroom now. I don't think any of the other staff are going to come in."  
"Rin!" Yukio scolded.  
"Why are you worrying about the other staff Yuki, what's going on?" Shiemi asked, her concern not leaving her voice.  
"Oh, nothing. As I said, everything's fine." Yukio looked increasingly nervous as the conversation went on. Sure he'd told himself he wasn't worried about his friends, but realistically he was, and he couldn't help it.

"Yukio, you're going to sweat to death in that, just stop being a baby and take it off already. You're being ridiculous." Rin nagged, loud enough to draw the others over to see what they were talking about. Bon, upon seeing them arguing, and being already completely fed up from earlier, decided to forcibly break it up. He reached over when Yukio was saying something to Rin and grabbed the top of the beanie, ripping it off in one fluid motion. Yukio froze halfway through his statement.  
"There. Was that so hard, honestly you two act more…" Bon now noticed the reason everyone else had gone quiet. Yukio stood completely rigid, he knew what the others were staring at and it made him feel completely vulnerable in that moment.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't know that was why, um…" Bon stuttered out, feeling really insensitive and awkward, breaking the silence.  
"It's fine, I just…" Yukio searched his mind for words, and as soon as they came he blurted them out. "didn't think it would be professional." He mentally swore at himself for producing such ridiculous reasoning.

The others immediately broke into laughter and if Yukio could get any redder he did.  
"Sometimes I don't know which of you two is the bigger idiot." Izumo stated.  
"Hey!" Rin shot back, feeling like the bulk of the insult was directed at him.  
Yukio chuckled. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry everyone."  
"It's okay, just don't do anything like that again. We're your friends remember, besides your brothers supposed to be the naïve and insecure one." Bon reassured, Rin again feeling insulted and pouted at the statement. "Now, I don't know about you guys but I came here to learn. Can we start the lesson now, Okumura-Sensei?"  
Yukio, feeling infinitely better, smiled and grabbed a pile of papers next to him, handing one to each of them.  
"Of course." Yukio stated with importance. "Can everyone please be seated. Today will be revision."

 

Oo…oO

 

After the lesson the others said goodbye before leaving Rin and Yukio in the classroom.  
"How do you feel now?"  
"Better, I knew I didn't have anything to worry about, but…"  
"I know." Rin reassured, he knew all too well where his brother was coming from. "Should we go home?"  
"Sounds good." Yukio put his beanie back on, still not risking it in the hallways, before they walked back to the old dorm.  
When they got there Rin dropped his stuff in their room before going to help Ukobach with dinner. They had almost finished when there was a knock at the door. Yukio wandered downstairs, meeting him at the kitchen doorway.  
"Do you know who that could be?" He asked Rin.  
"No, you?" Yukio shook his head, and they both started towards the door. Two more knocks sounding before they reached it.

Yukio pulled it open and both brothers grew still in shock at the sight before them. A group of about ten exorcists were all standing outside, grouped together so that was all they could see. Yukio recognised some of them, and he guessed they were all higher ups. Rin feeling threatened, immediately grew angry and got into a defensive position. Yukio tried to keep up his professionalism, but he too was on high alert, also feeling uncomfortable as he was completely exposed so there was no doubt he was a demon.  
"What is the meaning of this?" He demanded as calmly as he could muster.  
Soon someone started pushing through the group. It was a women in a veil like hooded cloak. The others seemed reluctant to let her through but didn't want to disobey her.  
"I'm sorry about all this, they're my guards. I'm not allowed to leave the Vatican without them these days, so many rules, it's honestly tiring." She stated as she got to the front.

Yukio recognised the uniform immediately and remembered Mephesto's words. Therefore he knew exactly who he was talking to, making him even more surprised.  
"My lady, my brother and I don't wish to have any trouble with the Grigori if that's what this is about." Yukio tried to diffuse the situation.  
"My lady?! Yukio who is…" Rin coughed as Yukio elbowed him in the ribs. He drew his brother in by the shirt and whispered in his ear.  
"Rin this is the newest member of the Grigori, show some respect. Do you want to get us killed?!" Yukio stated firmly.  
Rin backpedalled and thought it best to shut up.  
"I'm sorry about my brother, he didn't mean any disrespect." Yukio apologised. He waited to see a response, but she just brought her sleeve up to her face. It wasn't a moment later before he heard faint laughter.

"It's quite alright, please call me Serena." She offered as she took off her hood and looked at Rin. "From what I can tell, you must be Rin. Every bit as spirited as it makes you out to be in my reports I see." She smiled gently. "and you must be Yukio…" Yukio grew stiff at being addressed. "Please relax, this isn't an official visit I assure you. You've done nothing wrong."  
"Um… please excuse me for asking, but why are you here then?"  
"That might take a while to explain. May I come in?"  
"Of course." Yukio pulled Rin aside to open the doorway fully. Serena walked forward and the rest of her Guard was about to follow, but she stopped them.  
"Please wait here."  
"But my lady?" one of them protested.  
"No, I'm under no risk of threat. Besides, if something happens I'll have Killian with me, I'm sure he'll be able to handle it." With that she walked through the door. A taller man of medium frame with black hair followed, and shut it behind her. The Okumura twins led them to the dining room where they all sat down at the table.

"Would you like anything. I'm sure Ukobach wouldn't mind fixing us up something?"  
"No, I'm quite alright. Thank you anyway." Serena glanced over, seeing the cooked meals on the bench that the brothers hadn't had time to eat yet. "Please don't let us stop the two of you though."  
"It's fine, it can wait."  
"I insist. I don't want your meals to get cold because of me." Serena smiled. Yukio nodded a thank you before he walked over and retrieved their plates, sitting them on the table so that the brothers could casually eat throughout the conversation.  
"Would either of you particularly care if we dropped all the formalities?"  
"Not at all." Yukio answered, Rin also shrugging an agreement.  
"Great." Serena stood up suddenly, unbuttoning her cloak and taking it off, the large piece of clothing looking thick and heavy as she placed it over the end of the table. "That's better. It's great to just be able to be myself for a change."

Now that the brothers could actually see Serena, she was of smaller build, not much taller than Rin, and had slightly-wavy flowing blonde hair that reached her lower back. Her hazel-blue eyes were accented by seemingly naturally rosy cheeks and warm smile. Killian, her companion, looked more stoic in stature. His green eyes provided striking contrast to his black hair. The longer hair at the top fell over the shaven sides and seemed to make his defined cheekbones even more noticeable. Even though he looked capable of brutality, he had a gentle, but proper, stance.  
"Okay…" Serena stated, like she was getting to the business end of the visit. "First of all, it's nice to finally be able to meet the two of you. I must say I'm very impressed from what I've read in my reports. I understand that you Yukio, have only just become a demon and I realise that the two of you may be a bit uncomfortable with this topic of discussion, but please just hear me out as I cannot leave this unsaid if there is even a small chance it will help." She took a breath, pleading expression forcing the brothers into a reluctant nod for her to continue. "Something that you may not be aware of at the moment is that the Vatican is currently in a political state of unrest."

Yukio couldn't help but let out a scoff before he caught himself. "Sorry, but isn't that a near constant state for the Vatican?"  
"You are unfortunately correct, but recently new problems have been coming to light, and I'm saddened to say that the route of these problems has stemmed from the two of you. Now don't get me wrong, I'm far from blaming you, in fact this could be a golden opportunity if it's handled the right way. However there is also the possibility that things could easily go south. That is why I need to take action now, before anyone with undesirable intentions can gain any ground. Are you following me so far?"  
The brothers both nodded, but Yukio then took on a puzzled look.  
"You are still yet to tell us what you want us to do about it? I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but the sons of Satan aren't the most trusted at the Vatican, especially now. It's not like we would be able to do anything anyway."

"Well you see, it's quite the opposite. The current situation has a majority of exorcists taking one of two sides. There are those campaigning for demon's rights and others that still believe that all demons should be killed no matter the cost. I'm leading those that wish to improve interspecies relationships. I know it's not reasonable to assume that all demons would be able to get along with humans, or humans with demons, but I believe the current relationship that exists is unstable to say the least. I would like peaceful coexistence to be my final goal, but I will settle for a ceasefire with mutual trust if I have to. What I must stress, however, is that I wish for this kill or be killed attitude from both sides to stop at if all possible. That is why I need the two of you. Having the two trusted demons to act like moderators could do the world to aid my cause. Now I wouldn't need much from you at the moment, just the promise to help out occasionally. I still don't know how I'm going to play this and it will depend on the moves the other side takes. I'm currently doing all I can, and there's no guarantee that things will end up well, but I assure you I will make sure there are numerous countermeasures in place if that were to happen."

The brothers looked at her for a moment, trying to place if the information she had provided them was the truth. Yukio then glanced at Rin. "Do you mind if we discuss this for a moment?"  
"Not at all, we'll be waiting outside. Whatever you decide, thank you for your time, I really appreciate it."  
They stood nodded their appreciation and walked out. The brothers sat in silence for a short time, before Rin spoke.  
"I think we should help." His statement was firm, and all too mature sounding for something that would usually come out of his mouth.  
"Nii-san… I agree that it would be the right thing to do, but can we really risk being in the spotlight like that. We're in enough danger as it is without drawing even more attention to ourselves."  
"You're right…" Rin sighed, his tone still searching for something they could do.  
"It would be risky, but, we could still help out behind the scenes. We'd just have to make sure we weren't caught. Serena's only one member of the Grigori, and if the other two find out they could easily overrule her and this time we'd both be on the chopping block."  
"Okay, we'll just have to be careful then. I wish we could do more, but if you think this is our best option, then that's alright with me."

Rin and Yukio walked outside to meet Serena and tell her their decision. They relayed their stance on the matter and then apologised that it was all they could do, and that they hoped she would understand.  
"No, I completely understand, I'm grateful that you're both willing to even risk helping at all with your current position. If anything comes up I'll contact you. I promise that the only people to know about this are present here. Goodnight Rin, Yukio. I'll be seeing the two of you again soon." She then smiled and her guard escorted her off back towards the main building.

 

Oo…oO

 

Rin and Yukio were once again alone in the dorms. Oddly enough, Iblis hadn't been home the entire day. He'd gone to visit Mephesto about something earlier that day, however it wasn't until well after the twins had gotten ready for bed that he returned. Yukio pulled open the door, and both twins glanced across the hallway in concern.  
"Where have you been? Is everything okay?"  
"Yes, everything is fine." Iblis replied as he continued into his room. The twins walked over and stood in his doorway, while Iblis continued what looked like, packing.  
"How come you're home so late?" Rin questioned innocently.  
"Well, I had a few things to get sorted before I go. I'm sorry but I have to go back to Gehenna in the morning. Some of my kin need me. Nothing bad, just a few duties I have to fulfil."  
"Oh…" Rin couldn't help but sound a bit sad, he'd really liked Iblis being there, and he even enjoyed his daily lessons.

"Hey, don't worry. I'll come back and visit. Now, I expect you to teach Yukio everything I've taught you." Iblis smiled, trying to cheer Rin up.  
"Okay, I will."  
He finished packing everything but his sleeping supplies and shoved it into his bag. Then he came over to the twins, still occupying his doorway.  
"Now, I've told Samael to answer any questions you may have in my absence. While I know you may be reluctant to approach him, I've told him not to mess with you both and to answer any questions honestly. Hopefully you'll be able to figure most things out on your own and there will be no problems. However, if there's an emergency and you don't want to go to Samael then…" Iblis leaned in and whispered something to the twins, before drawing back and looking serious. "Now that's my own personal summon. The only people that know it are the two of you and Egyn. So I expect it to be kept that way."

"We promise." The twins stated in unison, feeling both privileged and grateful.  
"Now I'll be leaving very early in the morning so I'll say goodbye to the both of you now." Iblis gave a soft smile as he leaned in and gave the twins a tender hug. "Now, get some sleep okay."  
"Okay." Rin still looked sad, but that was to be expected.  
"We will." Yukio was also upset, Iblis was so good with Rin and it was a shame he had to go.  
"Goodnight you two."  
"Goodnight." They replied.  
"Oh… and um… Thank you for everything you've done." Rin added.  
"We really appreciate it."  
"No problem, it's been a pleasure." Iblis then gave one last look of goodbye before he closed the door, the twins doing the same. That night the brothers were mostly silent after heading back into their room. They had a lot to think about, trying to process the event filled day.

 

Oo…oO

 

The next morning there was a knock…. at the window??? Yukio jumped out of bed, hands already holding his guns. Rin wasn't far behind, fumbling Kurikara through his sleepiness.  
"Little brothers. It's just me. Let me in." Amaimon demanded, who was hanging onto the windowsill like it was nothing, taping at the glass like it was the most annoying thing in the world because he would get in trouble if he smashed it.  
"Amaimon!" Yukio both snapped and sighed at the same time, lowing his guns and giving the earth king an unimpressed frown. Rin meanwhile had reached the window, he slowly opened it so Amaimon could come through. When it was open enough, the earth king swung in, landing perfectly on his feet.  
"Couldn't you have just used the door like a normal person?" Yukio scolded.  
"What's the fun in that little brother."

"What do you want anyway?" Yukio scoffed, annoyed by being woken up.  
Amaimon surprisingly grew still at the question, seeming embarrassed.  
"Well…" It was taking him a while to find words. "I actually wanted your help. I did ask big brother, but he said the two of you would be better."  
"It depends what it's about." Rin stated, finally almost fully awake.  
Amaimon looked annoyed. "Why can't you just do what I say and I not tell you."  
Yukio chuckled. "That's not how it works, either tell us or we can't help you."  
The earth king gave a whine before giving in. "Fine, but you have to promise to help first."  
Yukio gave him a look to restate what he'd said and Amaimon seemed to acknowledge it so he moved on.

He was getting increasingly awkward as the conversation went on, whatever it was, was clearly getting to him, because unlike his usual self, he was actually showing some emotion.  
"I want you to teach me how humans court each other."  
"You what!? Rin spat.  
Yukio however looked stern. "Why?"  
"I can't tell you."  
"Then we can't help you." Yukio gave a sly smile with his statement, he was honestly enjoying the bargaining chip they had over Amaimon at the moment. The earth king frowned, again testament to how much this was obviously getting to him.  
"I want to court Shiemi."

Both twins broke into fits of laughter. Yukio at least was trying to hold himself back, Rin however was almost on the floor. Amaimon just stood there, taking it all and looking very sad.  
"I told big brother you wouldn't help." Amaimon sighed and turned to leave, again out the window, but Yukio caught him.  
"No we'll help. It's just I'm not sure how it will go, and you have to do everything we say, and I mean everything."  
"Hold on he's serious?" Rin asked as he stopped laughing abruptly. Yukio shot him a scolding look. "Okay, okay, I get it, but why so suddenly. I didn't even think you liked her?"  
"My mating season is coming up and I want to take her as my mate, but I want the bond to be mutual, so I can't force her. I've actually wanted her for a while now. She's surprisingly strong for a human and will make a perfect mate, even if it will be for a short period of time."

The twins chose to be naïve about the last statement, full well knowing that short period of time meant that Amaimon would outlive her greatly, something they too would have to get used to eventually.  
"Okay lover boy, give us some time to get ready alright. We'll meet you back here in a couple hours." Rin teased.  
"and by here he means downstairs, at the door this time." Yukio added.  
"Okay." His tone was the slightest bit upbeat compared to usual. He then left out the window before the twins could make him use the door, leaving them alone in their room.  
"I'm not sure how this is going to go." Rin stated, uncertainty in his voice.  
"We can only try Nii-san. Amaimon has helped us after all, we can teach him what he wants to learn and the rest is up to them."  
"Yeah I guess." Rin replied as they started to get ready for the long day to come.

 

 

A/N: Thank you for sticking around guys. Hope you enjoyed the update. Have a great New Years - SamThySoul :)


	2. Earth's Secrets

OMG I'm so sorry for the unexplained hiatus!!! I didn't mean it, time really got away from me. I had to move house for Uni then I had to settle in and I was so busy I didn't really have time for much and when I did I was so tired that I couldn't get in the writing mood. Hopefully things will calm down now. I have a few extra days off then what I used to so I will hopefully have more time to write. Thank you for your patience and I'm sorry once again. Enjoy :)

 

 

 

The twins finished up breakfast and were putting up their plates, only to turn back towards the hallway to find a certain earth king standing there impatiently. Rin grumbled, while Yukio just sighed.  
"This is never going to work."  
"I used the door like you said to, I don't see the problem." Amaimon was completely oblivious to the common educate he'd completely disregarded.  
"You're supposed to knock." Rin snapped.  
"But I outrank you?" Amaimon stated, this time puzzled, because apparently that was how it usually was in Gehenna. The twins just obviously hadn't noticed it because they were used to knocking anyway.  
"Look it doesn't matter who outranks who, just knock okay. That's your first lesson… Actually you know what, start treating everyone like they outrank you, that's the only way we'll even begin to make progress." Yukio huffed.  
"But that's insulting, not to mention tiring." The earth king retorted.  
"Listen do you want her to like you or not?"  
"Okay." He finally submitted.

"Good, how long do we have anyway?" Yukio asked, trying desperately to get a 'lesson plan' worked out.  
"A week."  
Yukio choked on air, while Rin just chuckled.  
"That's never going to happen." Rin spat between laughs.  
"Well, I can't help but tend to agree with Rin on this one, but it just means we'll have to step up our approach. We just have to hope, unlikely as it is, that she already likes you to some extent."  
Amaimon nodded.  
"The thing that needs the most work is clearly your social skills, and well… lack of, so we'll work on them today."  
"What do I have to do?"  
"Just be quiet and listen and I'll explain some things to you, it will be a lot to take in, but you have a lot that needs to change. If you have any questions wait until the end."

Amaimon nodded and Yukio went into teacher mode, explaining human social hierarchies, acceptable behaviour and common etiquette. Rin helped with demonstrations of scenarios and also adding in side comments to aid the cause. Overall it took four hours, Ukobach providing them with snacks and drinks on regular intervals. The earth king sat quietly on his chair the whole time, his head resting on his knee that was drawn up against his chest while his other leg hung normally. His look of attentive concentration not wavering even once throughout the lesson. The amount of evident determination he was displaying was actually rather impressive.  
"Okay, any questions?" Yukio asked upon finishing.  
"I don't think so… Although where do I start? From what I can gather from what you've just said, it's likely she hates me, how do I fix that?"

The twins both thought for a while, before Rin had an idea.  
"Why don't you get her something she'll like, you know, a gift?"  
"Good thinking Nii-san. Can you think of anything she might like? You should take her flowers as well, that would probably work."  
Amaimon brightened, apparently knowing exactly what to get her.  
"She likes Moonflowers and I made this a while ago, but I don't know if it's okay?" The earth king reached into his pocket to pull out a delicate necklace. It had a fine, expertly crafted, chain made of brilliant silver, on it hung a small pendant that appeared to be flower made of crystal which seemed to glow even without the light catching it. The twins weren't sure what amazed them more, the fact that the earth king apparently had ridiculously good craftsmanship skills that they hadn't even seen from the highest jewellers, or the fact the he'd made it in the first place with Shiemi in mind.

"That's perfect. She'll love it." Yukio stated, still in a bit of disbelief that Amaimon somehow still thought it mightn't be acceptable.  
"But where do we get the Moonflowers or whatever they are from?" Rin pointed out.  
"They're easy to find. I know exactly where I can find some." Amaimon stated.  
"Okay good. Go and get them, leave the necklace here and we'll get everything ready. Don't take too long alright." Yukio ordered. Amaimon nodded and left. He returned about fifteen minutes later, a decent size bunch of beautiful white flowers in his hands.  
"Will this be enough? I can get more."  
"No this is fine. Here." Yukio handed him a small glittery box. It had a floral print that was scattered over the lid. "You're lucky Nii-san used to be almost head-over-heels for her, because otherwise we wouldn't have had this laying around to put the necklace in."  
"It always did confuse me why you didn't seem to even remotely like each other as mates." Amaimon stated, unknowingly turning the air awkward.

"Enough of that, we've got to hurry or we'll miss our window. There's not usually anyone at the supply shop at the moment, but if we don't get there in another twenty minutes there will be." Yukio stated, breaking the tension. He inserted the key into the nearest door and held it open, waiting for the others to walk through.  
Amaimon followed closely behind Rin, waiting for his next set of instructions. When they reached the front steps the group stopped.  
"Make sure you knock on the door and wait until she opens it, even if she says that it's open and to come in, don’t, just knock again. Remember what I've taught you, and don't do anything that might look threatening. Good luck."  
"Yeah, I think you're going to need it." Rin teased and Yukio scolded him for being so insensitive.  
Amaimon seemed to ignore the second half of Rin's statement and started his way up the steps. When he reached the top he readjusted his hold on the flowers and gift, so he could knock on the door. Then he knocked anxiously and waited.

"We're open, please come in." Remembering Yukio's words the Earth king knocked again. This time he heard the gentle footsteps make their way towards the door, which eventually swung open.  
"I brought you…" He got halfway through saying before he was cut off by a scream and a slam of the door. He stopped is sentence, defeated, and stood in silence for a second before he started searching his mind for what to do. He placed the flowers on the ground, sitting the small box next to them and turned to leave, deciding it to be his best option. He still however felt unsatisfied, like he hadn't done enough. He looked over to the patch of grass next to the door and had an idea, from what Yukio had taught him leaving a note in this situation would be okay… Not bothering to even consider his lack of paper he snapped his fingers and muttered something. The grass in front of him came to life, small white and pink flowers weaving their way to the surface. By the time he deemed it adequate to leave, a blanket of the delicate plants dominated above the grass spelling the words "I'm sorry" The earth king then made his way slowly back down the steps and was silent upon reaching the twins.

"How'd it go?" Yukio innocently asked, hopeful for the poor clearly defeated demon in front of him.  
"She screamed and slammed the door." This met no teasing from Rin, and both twins couldn't help but stare at the wreck in front of them. To someone that hadn't dealt with Amaimon before they would have no idea that he was clearly sad, borderline depressed even, but the twins had, so they each wore sympathetic looks.  
"Well I can't say I didn't expect this to a degree. What did you do with the present?" Yukio pried.  
"I left it in front of the door with a note."  
"That's probably the best course of action to be honest."

Rin scrunched his face like a thought had just hit him.  
"How did you know those were her favourite flowers anyway? I didn't even know that." Before Yukio even had time to theorize Amaimon answered.  
"She talks out loud in her garden sometimes and she mentioned it."  
"Oh okay th… hang on what?!"  
"Please don't tell me you've been watching her." It was more of a closed statement then a question because Yukio already knew what answer he was going to get, but he was met with one anyway.  
"I like watching her garden, it's so graceful the way she tends to all her plants."  
Rin had a disbelieving face as he stared at the earth king, not because he was surprised at the fact that apparently Amaimon thought mixing fertilizer and cutting plants was graceful, but because of how bad the earth king had it. He was completely love struck, and there was no denying it.

"That has to stop now." Yukio ordered. "No contact for a couple of days, give her a break. It's the best thing you could do if you even want a chance with her. Hell no wonder she's scared, she's probably seen you a few times."  
Amaimon just stayed silent and nodded, gaze not rising from the ground, just like his current mood.  
"Now go home… Two days, and she better not see you once, otherwise you're done for, got it?"  
The earth king nodded again, too defeated to respond or thank the twins, he just left, evidently also readying his mind for the long two days to come.  
Yukio and Rin headed back to their dorm.

Upon reaching their room Yukio panicked. "Um Nii-san I have a few errands to run so I'm heading out for a bit." Yukio quickly exclaimed as he turned back out of their room.  
"Do you want help?"  
"No it's fine." Yukio stated as he shut the door. He hurried down the hall and round the corner, leaning against the wall. His heart was beating a million miles an hour, throbbing hard in his chest, his forehead laced with sweat and behind him he could feel his tail trashing beyond his control. He breathed heavily trying desperately to calm down. What was wrong with him? Why is it that he felt disgusted to be in that room all of a sudden.

The answer still lingered in his nostrils and fought at the back of his mind. He knew why, he just didn't want to admit it, or even face it for that matter. Yukio held his breath and focused on slowing his heartbeat. It was still pounding in his ears. His tail ever a distraction making this even harder. After several seconds his lungs were bursting without him realizing it and he drew in a gasping breath. Finally he could feel himself calming down, his control surfacing along with relief. Yukio composed himself the best he could and continued on his way out of the dorm. He didn't actually have a reason to go out like he'd told Rin, but he just couldn't be in the dorms at the moment. He'd felt his control slipping all day, his new demonic instincts clouding his mind, and he hated it.

Yukio walked for hours, he'd stayed away from where he'd have the chance of people meeting him along the way because at the moment he just wanted to be alone. It was starting to get dark and he'd found himself in the forest at the other side of the school grounds. The evening light was calming and he sat down on a medium sized boulder to enjoy the peaceful trickle of the small stream nearby. He hadn't relaxed like this in a while, mostly because of teaching duties, but now that was one of the last things he wanted to think about. He was just lucky that there had been no mandatory staff meetings since… well… since it happened. There was a rustle in the bushes nearby, Yukio put a hand to one of his guns but relaxed when he saw what it was.

A small group of demons came into view. They looked like snakes with two heads that sectioned about half way down their body. The snake demons, or Unsere, were harmless. They never attacked anyone on the campus and their numbers where never a problem, so Yukio, along with all the exorcists had just ignored them. He went back to his thoughts as the group moved behind him, seemingly headed across the clearing and into the forest on the other side. However Yukio realised his mistake when he felt something at his leg. It latched on, using its two heads to tie itself around his leg in what appeared to be some form of hug. He knew that Unsere where never violent, even in an attack. So Yukio just tried to pry it off, however when another one wrapped around his arm he'd had enough. He grabbed one of his guns and let off a few shots, the rest of the group scattered and the ones clinging to him released and also fled. He sighed.

How could he have been so stupid. Unsere don't attack humans, instead they go for mated demons, trying to feed of their residual attraction energies and emotions. Yukio had known that, but he just didn't want to face it. He was scared, his new demonic instincts where very strong and it felt like he would lose himself if he acknowledged them even for a second. So instead he buried them and ran away… akin to a coward, running from his problems instead of facing them. Here he was preaching to his brother when he was doing the exact same thing, what a hypocrite. He hid his face in his hands as soft tears dripped from his eyes. He felt more defeated then anything. How stupid was it to cry just because his incessant need for control wasn't satisfied. It was childish.

"Look what we have here." A smug voice echoed behind him causing him to jump and turn around. "Ha, I never thought I'd see this. I knew ya were a four eyed chicken, but even for you this is…" Shura gave a mocking laugh. Yukio knew she was baiting him, to see how upset he really was, but that didn't mean he appreciated it.  
"Shut up!" He snapped. He knew it was out of character, he wouldn't usually appear so emotional like that, but at the moment he was using everything he had to fight his stupid new instincts, even this far away from his brother they were still going haywire.  
"Fine." Shura had clearly decided to take the hard-ass approach. "Just stop your moping already. So what? You're a demon, nothing's going to change, you might as well get used to it. Honestly!" She scolded and started walking the rest of her patrol route, unfortunately for Yukio she had a habit of detouring, probably how she'd come across him in the first place. Though he was lucky it had been her and not one of the other exorcists, as she was one of the few that knew about his current situation.  
"You can't control every aspect of your life forever ya chicken!" She called as she went out of sight.

Yukio knew she was right, just it coming from Shura in that teasing voice made him angry. He huffed, and started walking back across campus. He'd have to go back to the dorm at some point that night anyway and if he waited any longer Rin would worry about him.

 

Oo…oO

 

When he reached the dorm Rin's scent was thick in the air, even outside. It wafted over him in a comforting haze, but he fought it with everything he had. He took a couple of long breaths before opening the door, wrestling up what control he had left. As expected it was stronger inside, and him fighting it was just producing the same reaction his body had earlier. He tried to slow his ever increasing heartbeat, finally managing to keep it somewhat steady, even if it was still faster than usual. Upon reaching the dining room his nose was assaulted with a different smell, he couldn't believe he hadn't smelt it sooner, usually the smell of Rin's cooking goes through the whole dorm, although it was probably because he was preoccupied with something else.

"Yukio, good you're back. We made a hotpot, considering it's getting colder I thought it would be better if we ate something that would warm us up." Rin stated with a smile when he saw Yukio.  
"Um… Good idea Nii-san. I'll wash up and come back down okay?" Yukio's eyes weren't on his brother. He was forcing his gaze away, fear overshadowing everything else in his mind, but he still waited for Rin to reply. If he left abruptly again it would make Rin even more suspicious.  
"Okay. It should be finished and dished out when you get back."  
With that Yukio was out of there. He didn't go to their usual bathroom. Instead he used the one on the first floor. It was a bit more run down, but it didn't have Rin's scent covering the place. At least fresh anyway, Rin had been in there at some point, but it must have been at least over a month ago from what Yukio could tell… and that in itself horrified him, how could he know that much without even thinking about it.

He finished cleaning up and splashed his face with water one more time before heading back to the dining room. He held his breath beneath a fake smile when he turned the corner. He wasn't sure if his eyes had some remnants of fear still in them, but he was trying his best. They ate mostly in silence, Rin tried to get a light conversation going but, with Yukio's mind somewhere else, was having trouble keeping it going. When they finished they went back up to their room, the very place Yukio was trying to avoid, however this time he couldn't avoid it. He sat on his bed, reading until it was time to sleep.

Unbeknownst to him Rin had flicked him a worried gaze several times already, but he didn’t think it would be wise to say anything yet, and thought that Yukio just needed time. It was definitely bothering him, in more ways than one, as Yukio hadn't preened his wings once since he changed and they were starting to feel a need for attention that decided to manifest itself as a kind of uncomfortable itch, but Rin was just trying to ignore it and do what he could reach himself when Yukio wasn't around. Not that it really helped, but he didn’t want to add to Yukio's troubles. His tail was a bit tattered as well because he didn't want to ask Yukio give that the usual treatment either.

Rin finished readying himself for bed first and got into his bed, which they had slept in for about the last two weeks. He had gotten mostly comfortable before pulling back the side of the covers to reveal a perfectly readied space for his brother to get into. When Yukio came back in Rin lifted his wing as he usually did so Yukio could get in, but this time Yukio didn't join him.  
"Yukio are you alright?"  
"Um… Nii-san, I'm going to sleep in my bed tonight." Yukio's voice was a bit shaky. Rin thought it best to ignore the fact he didn’t get an answer and just gave a small nod, however he couldn't help but look sad. He put his wing down, feeling the empty space and pulled up the covers.

Yukio got into his bed, it felt unnaturally cold but he pushed the feeling away and tried to relax. It wasn't cold in his room but as soon as he was under the covers he was freezing. He pulled up a heavy blanket that had been folded over the end of his bed. The cold feeling didn't go away, but he started sweating up a storm not five minutes later. He kicked off the heavy blanket and turned over. Subconsciously grasping for something that wasn't there.

Rin could hear Yukio shuffling in the other bed, obviously just as restless as he was. He wasn't sure why Yukio had decided to sleep away from him, but he figured it was something to do with needing space. He shifted his pillow down so he could hug it, bending his head at an angle so he could still comfortably rest on it as well. That was how he slept, well tried to sleep. The pillow wasn't filling the void left by his brother's absence. He knew Yukio was only across the room, but it felt like more than that. His demon side was telling him it was something he had done, that it was because he was being an inadequate mate. He knew that wasn't true, but it didn't stop his instincts from driving him crazy. It didn't help that he could feel sadness and disgust radiating across the empathic bond. Rin figured it was just because Yukio had to get used to being a demon, and that it would go away eventually. He was right, in a way, but Rin couldn't know the full extent of how his brother was feeling.

When morning came neither of the brothers had slept. Yukio was up earlier than usual and Rin just pretended to sleep for another couple hours before he too rose earlier then what he would usually get up. Neither of them brought up any questions, even the obvious ones that seemed to almost float in the air waiting to be said. They just readied themselves, ate breakfast, ensuring not to catch the others stares, and left to do their respective tasks.

 

Oo…oO

 

Rin sat in class, he hadn't seen Yukio since morning, but couldn't shake the feeling within him. It was heavy, weighing him down like a wet towel, soaked in yearning. It shouldn't have been as strong as it was, but Yukio wasn't simply a partner, he was a mate, and Rin couldn't forget that. Not with the itch through his wings, the suffocation on his skin, or the weight on his heart. He was used of that, he'd long since gotten used to those feelings. However this time had a subtle but crucial difference. Rin could feel through the link that this time Yukio was pushing him away.

"Rin? Are you alright? You're whining." It was Shiemi. It took Rin a moment to realize what she had said, and as soon as he did he stopped the small whine escaping his throat.  
"Thanks Shiemi. I'm fine, it's just demon stuff. It'll pass." Rin reassured with the warmest smile he could muster. The girl had been pawing absentmindedly at the flower necklace around her neck the entire lesson.  
"Okay, but if there's anything I can do… We're all here for you remember?"  
"Yeah I know, it took me a while but I finally know that… I'm just not sure Yukio does is all…" The second part Rin trailed off, muttering it under his breath. Shiemi still must have heard it though.  
"Yuki grew up an exorcist, I'm sure he'll be fine, it's just different for him."  
"Yeah… I'm trying to give him time." Rin sounded defeated, but his tone made sure it was a closed statement, so Shiemi took the hint to end the conversation.

The rest of the lesson was rather mundane, as per usual, and Rin had to consciously stop himself from whining. It was like his feelings had taken a physical manifestation inside himself and were clawing to get out. When they were released from class a particularly strong wave washed over him and he hurried back to his dorm after saying a rushed goodbye to the others. He ran to his room and dove onto Yukio's bed, releasing the captive whine in his throat and whimpering all the while. Rin was mostly used to his instincts by that point, and while he kept them reigned in a bit around the others for their benefit, when he was alone he just let them do as they pleased. Just as he did now, when they were telling him to rub himself against Yukio's sheets. He covered everywhere, allowing his brothers strong chocolatey scent to cover him, the vanilla undertones dancing through the surrounding air. Only then did Rin find the near constant whine he'd been producing drift off and he was allowed to come back to his senses. He was so worried about Yukio and fooling his instincts into thinking his brother was cuddling him, safe, home, and warm, made him feel infinitely better.

Eventually finding it in himself to get up, after a good hour, Rin made his way to the kitchen. With the weight still on his heart he didn't feel much like cooking for once, so he had to ensure Ukobach didn't want help, he was sure it wouldn't bother the stove sprite but Rin just wanted to be polite. When he finally made it down to the kitchen he found the small demon swinging the fridge door closed and jumping onto the bench, no doubt just finishing up one of the many delicious snacks that seemed to appear magically in the fridge every time the brothers turned around.  
"Hey Ukobach, is it alright if I don't help out tonight? I don't really feel like cooking." Rin asked as he faked a smile, although it seemed the stove demon already knew what was going on.  
" **Yukio still having trouble adjusting is he?** " The small demon questioned full of concern and fondness. It cupped Rin's hand and tilted it's head.

Ukobach was old enough to have seen this before, and knew all too well how hard it was on a mate when it was being rejected by its partner. However the situation wasn't too bad, Yukio was just avoiding Rin and not disowning him. Ukobach had seen mates gone mad upon disownment before, eventually dying because they lost their ability to look after themselves, or just wouldn't because they wanted their suffering to end. It was the worst thing that could happen in a mated pair, the only other thing that even remotely came close was losing unborn offspring. That was especially hard on the submissive though.  
"Yeah, I know it will take time, but my heads saying one thing and my instincts are saying another so it's messing me up a bit." Rin admitted, he felt comfortable talking to Ukobach and they regularly had conversations like this when they were cooking.

It made the stove demon proud that such a high ranking demon would confide in him, even though it knew Rin probably didn't see it that way.  
" **Hopefully he'll come around soon. In the meantime,** " The demon got out a small vile from the top cupboard, he poured its contents into a glass of water and handed it to Rin. " **this should help your instincts calm down a bit.** "  
Rin downed the liquid, it felt thicker than what it looked in the glass and left a soothing feeling through his insides as it came to settle in his stomach. Subtle strawberry flavours lingering on the back of his tongue. He handed the empty glass back to Ukobach.  
"Thanks."  
" **No problem, now go get some sleep, you look like crap.** " Rin nodded and wandered up to his bedroom. He looked over to his own bed before he settled on Yukio's, not even bothering to get under the sheets properly before he drifted off.

 

Oo…oO

 

Yukio came home to the sight of his brother curled up on his bed, he'd managed to muster back some control that day and was a little less on edge. That was perhaps why he finally noticed the state of Rin. His brother looked terrible. Wings a mess, tail tattered, bags under his eyes even in sleep. He was breathing erratically and not the soft purr he was used to, the occasional whine coming from his throat. Upon hearing that sound Yukio had the urge to jump onto the bed and smother Rin, showering him in a protective scent and letting him know that everything was alright. He barely held back, escaping into the bathroom to splash water on his face. When he looked into the mirror he realized that he didn't look much better than Rin. His eyes looked bruised the bags were that noticeable, stress obviously a factor as well. He knew it was taking a toll on his body, fighting something that was supposed to be natural would; and as much as it made his skin crawl, his new instincts were just that… natural.  
"I know you're scared." Yukio turned to find Rin in the doorway, sleepy but alert.

Rin had woken up when he felt Yukio near his bed. He sensed his brothers protectiveness and then fear over the empathic link and suddenly everything made sense. Yukio was scared of himself.  
"They're strong I get it, but as you once taught me. Nothing will change who you are. Besides who's gonna know when we're at home? Just let it go, give in a little. Everything will be okay I promise."

Yukio had gripped the sink harder throughout Rin's speech. Truth ringing through his brothers words but he was still having trouble following them.  
"You don't understand Nii-san, the things I want to do are like an animal. They're just so feral. I can't…"  
Yukio was cut off when Rin rubbed against his neck. Yukio let out a whine, feeling the contact he'd been longing for and gripped the bench tighter as his control slipped.  
"Stop thinking that it's one-sided. It's okay Yukio. You can do whatever you want. Just stop fighting yourself okay. I can't watch you suffer like this anymore." Rin begged, looking at his brother in the mirror as he perched his head on Yukio's shoulder.  
"Nii-san." Was all Yukio managed to get out before he started crying softly. Opting to let Rin take it from there. He Just stood and let Rin comfort him the way his instincts wanted.

Rin took that as his cue to do what he wanted, what Yukio had wanted, had needed, for days now. After finding Yukio's neck again Rin started to nuzzle. He eventually moved to his hair, rubbing that over Yukio's neck as well. Chocolatey-vanilla now wafting from him, Rin began to do the same to Yukio. This was more violent than the gentle nuzzling, Rin hoping Yukio had gotten more comfortable with the exercise. Rin was purring loudly in an attempt to ease his brother anxiousness, something that was evidently proving effective when Yukio let out a whine as Rin scent marked his hair. Eventually Yukio took it upon himself to nuzzle Rin's neck in return. When the pair finished the unease had passed and both felt infinitely better.

Rin didn't want to prompt any more from Yukio just yet, so he led him down for dinner and while they yet again ate in silence, there was no longer any awkward tension and Rin had noticed Yukio eying his wings a few times. After they finished Rin took up their plates, ensuring to thank Ukobach, and the twins returned to their bedroom. Yukio had set down on the bed first and he silently asked for Rin to join him. Rin had no problems with the request and he slid onto the bed, lying down next to his brother and eased one of his wings onto Yukio's lap to see if he would take the bait. Rin was overjoyed when he felt Yukio tending to it minutes later. After moving a bit closer he relaxed into the blissful feeling, letting his instincts finally relax. His mate was back, and everything was alright.

 

 

Thank you for staying with me everyone it means a lot - SamThySoul :)


	3. The Past "Can't" Hurt You

A/N: Okay I think I'm just going to have to submit to the fact that my posting will be slower then it used to be. I promise I will write as much as I can and update as much as possible but there's just been a lot of shit happening lately and I've been really busy and stressed. Like my kitchen setting itself on FIRE!!! when nothing was plugged in or turned on. It was put out before it spread past the one area and no one was hurt and everything was covered under insurance, so it's not too bad, but it was still a real shock. Also sometimes Uni can seriously fuck off... Okay rant over :) Enjoy the chapter guys and thank you for sticking with me!!! :)

 

 

Yukio awoke just where he was meant to… covered in the protective grasp of his brother. The wing over him was once again smooth and fluffy thanks to his work the previous night. He was still scared, even if he had had some release. His instincts were fine as long as he was close to Rin, and by close he meant face in his brothers neck and arms latched onto his chest, or the other way around. It was a problem to say the least, and Yukio had no idea what to do about it. He was still pondering said things when Rin started to stir, his brother looked down at him and gave a smile. Grabbing tighter and burying his face in Yukio's neck.

Yukio was going to let himself lay there for a few more minutes but much to both his and Rin's displeasure his phone decided to ring. Rin let out a groan and refused to release his hold.  
"Nii-san I have to get that." Yukio warned sternly, a smile present on his lips however made it far less believable then what he was going for.  
"It'll just be the clown… can't you just leave it." It was more of a statement then a question, Rin clearly not wanting to let up on his position.  
"Sorry but you know I can't, it's my job." Yukio's voice wavered over the word 'job' despite all the convincing he'd attempted to give himself, he still couldn't fully justify being able to hold his position now he was a demon.

Even so Rin finally released his hold and Yukio snatched the phone from the bedside table, he hit the answer button with little purpose put into the motion and proceeded to spill out words like a robot. After a bunch of "understood" 's he hung up, looking defeated.  
"Is everything okay?" Rin's face wore concern.  
"There's a compulsory meeting for teachers of the Japan branch today at the Vatican." Yukio was now white, he had a pit in his stomach and felt like he was going to throw up even if he hadn't even had breakfast yet.

Rin was alert on this immediately, quickly taking action. He hugged Yukio's back and gently nuzzled his neck, forcing his brother to calm down, even if he didn't want to. Yukio let out a few breaths and broke from Rin's hold, giving a weak smile.  
"I'm okay now." Although it sounded anything but convincing.  
"When is it?" Rin didn't dwell too much on the fact his brother had to go as it couldn't be avoided in the long run.  
"A bit over an hour."  
"Come on I'll help you get ready." Rin stated helping Yukio to his feet, he was shaky but could stand. "Now it might be best if you don't wear your exorcist coat. Most of the people at those meetings don't wear uniform right? So it will make you less obvious."  
"Yeah…" Yukio choked out.  
"Okay here use this." Rin handed Yukio one of his hoodies. He always brought them oversized so it would fit Yukio easily, and best of all his scent would cover his brother even while he wasn't there, working to keep him calm. The hood would even hide his ears. It was perfect.

Yukio pulled it on after getting on a decent shirt and zipped it up. Opting to pair it with a set of black sweatpants. Overall he looked casual but still professional in a way and that was what mattered. He pulled up the hood and lifted the bottom up to his armpits for a second to make wrapping his tail around his torso an easier job. After he was finished he went and looked in the mirror. If he didn't smile he looked normal… perfect. He gained a little bit of confidence as he grabbed his guns stuffing them in the elastic of his pants and tucking them under his hoodie. Lastly Rin handed him his exorcist licence, which he pinned on his top pocket, then he slowly made his way downstairs. He was ready, at least that was what he was telling himself.

When they got to the door Yukio didn't protest when Rin decided to scent mark him one more time before he left, he even gave a small involuntary whine when his brother finished and pulled back. Rin smiled and grabbed the key gently from Yukio's grasp, inserting it into the door for him and opening it.  
"It's only an hour. I'm sure it'll be fine. Just keep your hood up and don't draw attention okay?"  
"Okay…" Yukio nodded weakly before he felt Rin nudge him from behind to get him started through the door. Yukio walked forward through his hesitance and Rin slipped the key into his pocket and closed the door to prevent Yukio from just turning back and avoiding it.

He stared at the expanse of hallways before him and found himself pulling his hood up tighter, unconsciously breathing in Rin's scent as much as he could. His legs felt heavy, and it took him a while to work himself up to walking forward, but once he did he didn't stop. The map was ingrained deep in his memory and he found the meeting room all too easily. He waited around the corner until the meeting began, not wanting to join the large group of staff outside the door until he had to. When he saw the door open he walked in last and positioned himself at the back in the corner closest to the exit.

 

Oo…oO

 

The meeting went rather smoothly, Yukio rode it out without having to talk or interact with any of the other staff and then left without being noticed, or so he thought. He rounded one of the corners in a rarely used passageway. It led to a sitting room that was close to one of the doors he could use to go back to his dorm from. However upon entering the room he felt incredibly weak. It was like he'd been hit with some sort of drug. His mind was fine, but physically he felt heavy all over.  
"Well then, look who it is… Mr Big Shot. Who knew that the Vatican would approve such a runt for a title so quickly."  
The voice was cold, laced heavily with hatred and jealousy but Yukio could swear he knew it. He tried to turn and see where it was coming from but almost fell over, catching himself with the edge of the couch.  
_Why do I feel so weak?_

Three pairs of footsteps entered the room and one moved into his view. It took him a minute to focus, but when he did he recognised the face.  
"Shinyou?"  
"When did I ever give you the right to use my first name Okumura!" Shinyou spat.  
"I thought…"  
"You thought what? That just because we used to be in the same class that we were friends." This voice came from behind him.  
_Hayato?_ It had to be…  
"Don't pity us like that. Golden Boy." The last part was hissed out as if the word alone could attack him.  
Yukio tried to get enough strength to scope the room but he was still shaky.

"Hey look Ryouta, the barrier you put up seems to be working, doesn't that mean the rumours are true?" Hayato asked.  
"I don't know. There's only one way to find out."  
Yukio heard a sloshing sound before he got hit in the back with something light. It wasn't long before he felt a liquid seep through his hoodie and touch his arm. It caught him off guard when it started to burn. He let out a yell from the shock and gathered what strength he had to get it off, throwing the article of clothing to the floor. His arm sizzled and he was thankful that he'd been wearing a shirt that had stopped it from getting on his back. It was then he realized what it was… Holy water! He'd had holy water thrown on him! He turned his head, now able to see as he didn't have his hood restricting his vision and saw Ryouta holding an empty container looking at him with an indifferent expression.  
"So you are demon spawn. How pleasing." Ryouta's tone had no emotion, that was just the person he was. He was cold, unforgiving, hated demons, and nothing ever seemed to shake him.

"Hey look! He has pointy ears and everything! How the hell is he still an exorcist." Hayato on the other hand was all too happy about bringing things harm, not even just demons. He was always bubbly about everything to do with the dirtier side of being an exorcist. He relished in it. People always made the mistake of thinking he was as innocent as he first appeared, how dead wrong they were to make that assumption.  
"Hayato, get control of yourself would you. We came here to do a job didn't we?" Shinyou scolded, making Hayato settle down.  
"You're right, sorry Shin-chan," Hayato hummed with a smirk. "but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun right?"  
"How else are we going to do this." Shinyou gave a wide sadistic smile.

The two of them advanced on Yukio, while Ryouta just watched.  
"Guys, come on. We were in the same class. I know we haven't seen each other for a while but…."  
"Shut up demon!" Shinyou hissed.  
Yukio reached for his guns and drew them but his motions were slow and the others easily swatted them away. They landed on the ground with a thump and Yukio was reminded of just how vulnerable he was in this state.  
Hayato slammed his fist into Yukio's stomach and the air was forced out of his lungs causing him to cough.  
"Just as pathetic as any other demon." Ryouta observed.

Hayato reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a delicately carved knife. He held it to Yukio's face.  
"See this?" he said teasingly. "You know what I use it for?" He paused and gave a playful smile. "I use it to find a demons weak spot. And then I take it. Sounds fun right?"  
Yukio's eyes widened with fear and he tried to back away but Shinyou had a firm grasp on him.  
"Time for a pop quiz. You answer correctly and I won't cut into you okay? I guess it's lucky for you there's only one question."  
Yukio could do little to resist and Hayato grew inpatient. He nicked Yukio's collarbone which caused pain to sear through him enough to make him loose a small scream. _A demon killing knife._  
"Okay?" Hayato demanded.  
"Alright." Yukio forced out.  
"Very good… Let's begin. What is a demon's weakest point?"  
Yukio didn't want to answer for fear as to what would happen next.  
Hayato grabbed him by his hair, yanking up his head and plunged his knife into the space between his shoulder and ribcage.

Yukio was about howl in pain but a hand was quickly shoved over his mouth to muffle it. The knife was removed and it lingered at his throat.  
"If I recall correctly I asked you a question. It's rude to ignore people you know…. That's okay, I'll ask you again because you mustn't have heard what I said. I asked what a demon's weakest point is. I'm sure you know the answer so I'd really appreciate it if you could tell me." Hayato was smiling widely as he put slight pressure on the knife. Even if it wasn't cutting him Yukio could still feel how it gave a slight burn on his skin.  
"I'm waiting…" Hayato cut in slightly and it was all Yukio could take.  
"Tail…" Yukio yelled. "It's tail." He panted through the pain and was relieved when the knife was drawn back.  
"Correct." Hayato gleamed. "My knife here just loves them. I had it specially made you know. The folded holy metal is the perfect tool for it. Nothing else can leave a clean enough cut, and best of all with this they don't dissipate afterwards so I get a reward that I can keep for all my hard work."  
Yukio felt sick to his stomach. He always knew Hayato was a bit messed up, but nowhere near this messed up.

"So Yukio, You're a demon right? Doesn't that mean I'm gonna get a reward."  
Shinyou forced Yukio's head down to the floor so he was now in a position where his butt was up in the air. Yukio did all he could to push against the hold but there was nothing he could do. Hayato grabbed the elastic of his pants and boxers and yanked down roughly making them pool at his knees and exposing his arse to the cold air of the room. Yukio would have been embarrassed if he wasn't terrified.  
"Stop… please." Yukio sobbed, he wasn't sure when he started to cry but he couldn't think about it as the knife was dragged along his leg.  
"It's rude to interrupt someone when they're busy." Hayato snapped. "Hmm smart, hiding it in your shirt I see." His shirt was given the same treatment as his pants and it tugged on his armpits due to being pulled up so high. They stopped for a minute and then Yukio heard Hayato give a content laugh.  
"This will be the ultimate trophy in my collection." He purred sadistically and Yukio felt a hand on his tail base, grabbing it firmly… actually too tight. Yukio squirmed under the grasp but there was nothing he could do as Hayato tugged upwards pulling Yukio with it as pain jolted through his entire body.

"Look at you, it's no wonder the paladin died. In fact it was probably your fault he's dead. He would have had to have been incompetent to even think he could raise a demon to be an exorcist, no matter how he disguised you." Ryuota said the words distastefully, unlike his usual tone and Yukio felt himself break. Something in him came alive, his demonic strength suddenly flooded back and he was all too eager to embrace it.  
"Don't you dare insult my father! He was a hundred times better then you could ever be!" Yukio boomed as he chucked them off him in one fluid motion. He didn't even realize the blue flames until he heard his attackers screaming in pain. _Shit!_ He had no idea what he was doing. He desperately tried to calm himself down but it wasn't working, upon looking at his hands the flames weren't the only thing he had to worry about. He was in his demon form… in the Vatican! Yukio's mind was going from anger to fear and everything in-between.

Ryouta was backing away from him, only mildly injured, but Shinyou and Hayato were worse off. Hayato was still screaming and the skin on his right arm was melted enough that it stuck to his knife. Shinyou was curled in on himself and sobbing as it looked like his chest was at least scorched. Yukio collapsed against the wall behind him, hyperventilating and curling up into a ball as the situation started to process in his mind. It wasn't long before he heard yelling from the doorway and a bunch of exorcists moved into the room and drew their weapons.  
"Get away from him!" Yukio looked up and he nearly cried in happiness upon seeing Rin. His bother shielded him and flared his flames, covering the room but ensuring that he didn't hurt anyone. It did succeed to scare them though as they all froze. They were about to snap out of it when someone else came through the doorway.

"What's going on here!" Serena quickly analysed the situation and added. "I demand you stand down immediately. No harm is to come to those demons until I say otherwise."  
Her presence was demanding as always and the exorcists immediately followed their orders.  
"But my lady…" One of them tried to argue but she held up a hand. "Take these three to medical immediately and hold them under guard, I want to question them personally later. No one is to talk about what happened here, as far as you're all concerned the issue is resolved. I will see to that personally. Is that clear?"  
"Yes ma'am." the exorcists all replied.  
"You're dismissed."  
"I don't think that's wise my…"  
"Dismissed!"  
They all left the room, leaving only Serena, Rin and Yukio. Yukio was still in shock and now clung to Rin, desperately trying to get a hold of himself. Serena sat down on one of the chairs facing away from them, giving Rin and Yukio a minute to calm down.

Yukio was suddenly very aware of just how naked he was and tugged his pants up from around his ankles. Luckily his shirt had fallen down so he was mostly covered when the main action had gone down, but that didn't mean he didn't feel a little embarrassed. He'd finally managed to cull the flames but he still couldn't control his demon form for some reason. He started to panic again, what if he was stuck like this?  
"Rin I can't…"  
"It's okay, we'll…"  
"No! I can't…" Yukio was breathing erratically again now. He usually had control, but through this entire situation he'd had to leave it to instinct and he didn't trust himself.  
Rin noticed Serena get up from her place on the couch and come over.  
"You won't get anywhere while you're resenting yourself. Sometimes trust can go a long way." She sighed and got a piece of paper out of her pocket, wiped blood on it with her thumb and muttered something. Soon a large white fox appeared behind her.

It stood about the same height as her and had black markings along the sides of its face that gave it an even more deadly appearance. It's nine tails danced behind it, seemingly as a constant show of power. Serena smiled and the fox came forward and nuzzled into her shoulder.  
"This is Kesada, my familiar."  
"That's impossible, a Kitsune… they're too strong to tame, how…?" Yukio was in disbelief.  
"I didn't tame her. Kesada and I came to an agreement and have become friends. I trust her with my life."  
**_"As do I."_ ** Kesada added.  
"She lets me summon her on the pretence that she is only asked to protect those who are in danger, including myself."  
"But if you hold no agreement as a tamer there's nothing stopping you from being attacked if something were to happen." Yukio argued.  
"That is correct, Kesada could choose to kill me at any moment and I wouldn't be able to do a thing." Serena turned to Kesada and after bowing at each other Serena ripped the paper. Kesada however didn't disappear right away, she turned to the Okumura Twins and gave them a pointed look.  
_**"You'll do well not to end up like your father. I have faith that the two of you will help all demons someday."**_ She bowed her head to the twins before disappearing back to Gehenna.

"I'll come by in the next few days to hear your side of the story. In the meantime I require your licence."  
"But…" Yukio didn't think before he argued and nearly shot himself for it after he'd realized what he'd done. "I'm sorry, of course." He handed over his licence.  
"I'm sorry Yukio, I don't want to suspend you but it's the only way to cover this mess up. Besides I think it's for the best, by the looks of things you could use a break to help figure some things out." She gave him a warm smile and tucked the card into her pocket.  
"I… I guess you're right."  
"Now I have to go deal with those idiots in medical, you two stay out of trouble now." She stated playfully before she walked out of the room.

Yukio was still shaken and held onto Rin as his brother led him back to their dorm. When they got there Rin sat Yukio down on his bed while he carefully put his hoodie in a bucket of normal water to soak. Upon coming back he found Yukio stripping off his clothes, apparently still not used to the feeling of his fur under them. When he was down to his briefs he stopped and gave a loud sigh.  
"I'm sure it's just because of shock or something. We'll figure it out in the morning alright?"  
"Okay…" Yukio was still somewhat disheartened, but that night Rin hugged him tighter than ever, so it made up for it to a degree.

 

 

A/N: Until next time... hope you all stay safe - SamThySoul :)


	4. Garden Of Memories

A/N: I'm back! *sweats nervously* I feel so bad for being away for so long. ヾ((●＞□＜)ﾉ*:..｡o○ＳＯЯЯЧ○o。..:*ヽ(＞□＜●))ﾉｼ But on the plus side I am now an artist -> https://aiyako.tumblr.com/ o(〃＾▽＾〃)o I still haven't actually posted much tho lol, after I did my first digital piece I spent a few months doing some hardcore art study (and therefore actually drew no finished pieces (and was why I had to have a break from writing), but now I'm actually drawing stuff) and hopefully my art style will be similar to the one I just posted. As far as apologies go however this is the longest chapter in the series yet, I think, chapter 5 from "Rin's nightmare" is pretty close. Again I'm really sorry for being away and I hope you all enjoy! :) :) :)

 

 

Rin was barely coming into consciousness when he suddenly heard a tapping noise. He groaned loudly in distaste because not only had the fucker again not used the door, but had also woken Rin, and now Yukio up. Sure it wasn't awfully early and they probably would have been up soon anyway but the annoyance was still there. Rin looked up from where his face was nuzzled in Yukio's hair and put on a pissed expression before he slowly opened his eyes to greet the culprit. Amaimon now wore an apologetic look and was about to turn, probably to go and use the door when Rin stopped him.  
"Hang on! You've already woken us up, I don't want to have to walk all the way down the stairs too. Just wait there for a minute okay?" Rin ordered, and the demon king didn't reply but did as he was told, still looking like he regretted his actions a little however that was soon being replaced with what appeared to be anticipation.

Yukio quickly became aware of the situation, but instead of getting up he pulled Rin's wing over him more and buried himself even further into the warmth of his brother. Not that he'd be getting up this morning anyway with Amaimon in the room, especially because he was not only still in his demon form but practically naked under the sheets.  
"Yukio, come on… I have to let the idiot in. As much as I kind of want to we can't let him wait out there forever." Rin looked over to the earth king over the second half of his statement and smirked, receiving a pout for his trouble.

Amaimon had really loosened up around them over the time they had known him. What was once an expressionless rock hard shell had since cracked away revealing perhaps the equivalent of a small, easily damaged flower underneath. He was really just a big child and, in a way, the twins had come to find it a little endearing. Overall practically all their brothers didn't seem to be too bad, and while they still had their reservations, the twins were quickly coming to understand that none of them really meant to cause any harm. It was just that they didn't know how to behave as far as Assiah went.

Yukio finally let go of Rin's wing and amazingly didn't stop himself from letting out a small whine when his brother got up. The older quickly shushed him and tucked the blankets into the space that had been left by an absent wing. Rin even pulled his warm pillow down under the blankets and positioned it so he could cuddle into it. Yukio wasn't usually this sluggish of a morning but after what had happened yesterday he seemed to be extra reluctant to get out of his bed. He wasn't sure if he had some residual fear to face the day or if being in his demon form made him clingy and unwilling to leave where his instincts were telling him was safe; as the bed was covered in his brothers scent and radiated with his lingering warmth.

When Rin opened the window and let the earth king in he seemed to catch sight of Yukio and became nervous, averting his gaze to the ground instead of looking Rin in the eye. Rin was going to ask about it, but his instincts told him Amaimon's behaviour was right so he shrugged it off and decided to get to why they had a demon king banging on their window before breakfast. He was about to speak up when Amaimon beat him too it.  
"I did as you said, I've been keeping myself busy in Gehenna just to make sure she didn't run into me. So, you said you'd know?"  
"Well she has been wearing the necklace you made her. It's hard to tell if it's because she's slightly forgiven you or just likes the necklace itself though." Rin explained.

A still-sleepy Yukio decided to join the conversation without moving from his spot on the bed.  
"There's no way to know without talking to her." The words were muffled by the pillow his face was planted in but the others still seemed to hear him.  
"Yeah you're right." Rin agreed before looking back to Amaimon. "Not you though, I think Shiemi might like some warning after how last time went. Me and Yukio will talk to her this morning, come back after lunch alright?" Amaimon nodded, looking hopeful.  
"Now get out of here so I can get up already." It was more of an annoyed grumble of words then speech but Amaimon disappeared out the window regardless and Rin shut it again.

Yukio felt his brother sit on the side of the bed. He turned over, leaving the pillow to get as close to Rin as he could without getting out of the blankets. This really wasn't like him… or was it? Regardless, this was what he felt like he needed, and quite honestly he'd gotten tired of fighting. When he came to that realization he found Serena's words from the previous day floating through his mind. "You won't get anywhere while you're resenting yourself. Sometimes trust can go a long way." It might of just been the side of him that was an exorcist wanting to listen to advice from such a high ranking superior, but he found himself giving in to her words. In fact, even though he was a demon, and had so many complications hanging over his head, he hadn't felt so relaxed and content for a really long time; perhaps never, it was honestly hard to tell.  
"Are you going to get up at some point today or do I have to bring breakfast up here."  
He'd noticed it in Rin too, he was softer, like some of his attitude had drained away. If Yukio concentrated he could actually feel why, his brother was happy, on the most basic and genuine level, and it almost made Yukio want to cry with joy. It was all he ever really wanted for Rin. Hell, his brother's happiness and wellbeing was the reason he'd made most of his life choices.

"I guess that means breakfast in bed." Rin started to get up and Yukio snapped out of his sort of daze.  
"No, it's okay. I'm getting up, just give me a minute. How about you go down ahead Nii-san, I'll join you momentarily alright?"  
"Okay. You better not take too long four eye's I don't want to starve cause I'm waiting on you." Rin teased before throwing on a shirt and heading downstairs.

Yukio was pleased to find that shifting out of his demon form was now almost too easy, he couldn't help but think 'would have been nice if I could have done that yesterday' but he didn't dwell on it, in reality he knew it had something to do with how he'd seemed to actually accept not only his instincts, but the fact that he was truly a demon. He reached for his exorcist uniform to get dressed but stopped short, remembering he was off-duty, instead reaching for his day clothes. They weren't something he had worn in a while, the last time he'd probably worn them regularly was when they were back living at the monastery. With that he had an idea and decided to inquire to Rin about it at breakfast. It would probably be rare him having another break like this after all. They might as well take advantage of it. When he was dressed he headed down to join Rin, finding his brother working alongside Ukobach in the kitchen. The pair were almost done, with the stove sprite plating up while Rin finished cooking the eggs.

Yukio considered taking a seat but instead found himself wandering into the kitchen and coming to rest with his arms lazily around Rin's chest, height difference allowing him to rest his head atop his brothers with little strain.  
"If I burn these it's on you."  
Yukio just hummed in reply, knowing full well that there was no way Rin would burn the eggs unless it was on purpose, something his brother had done when cooking the group breakfast one time; as if by magic Bon had ended up with an overly charred morsel while the rest of the group enjoyed perfectly cooked food. Needless to say he didn't "accidently" track grass into Rin's sleeping bag again.

When Rin finished cooking he placed the eggs on the prepared plates, already sporting toast, bacon, sausages and grilled tomato, before holding one at his side; forcing his clingy back pack to free him in order to grab it. The twins nodded a thank you to Ukobach before making their way to the table. Yukio took a few bites then looked up and mused a question that Rin had purposely not thought about since they left.  
"Do you miss the monastery?"  
"Of course I do. Don't you?" Rin placed down his fork, focusing instead on where his brother was intending to take this conversation. Yukio nodded before he continued.

"We could maybe visit, I have some time off after all, why not make the most of it, especially since the Vatican aren't breathing down as necks as much anymore. I'm sure we could get the permission for at least an overnight stay."  
"It'd sure be nice to see everyone…" Rin suddenly grew hesitant, and Yukio could feel sadness coming from him.  
"I'm sure they'd love to see us again too Rin." Yukio reassured.  
"You think so?" Rin still didn't seem fully convinced. Yukio let out a sigh.  
"Just when I was starting to think you were becoming less of an idiot." He teased.  
"Hey!" Rin shot back before he smiled and brightened even more than before.

 

Oo…oO

 

When the twins finished eating they decided to head over to Shiemi's straight away. They didn't have a whole lot of time before lunch, so getting going now would be better in case Shiemi was free and they wanted to spend some time there. When they arrived they found that there was indeed no customers in the shop and spotted Shiemi in the garden. The twins called her over to open the side gate; as now that they were both full demons Yukio couldn't open the gate for Rin like he used to, well he could but he didn't want to have to bother putting the seal back up, because it would take a good half hour at least.  
"Rin, Yuki!" She exclaimed with a wide smile as she let them in. "What are you both doing here? Did you need some supplies, but Yuki didn't you pick up your order the other day?"  
"It's fine Shiemi, this is a social visit. We have something that we wish to discuss with you and it may bit a bit of a personal matter." Yukio explained.

"Is that why you're out of uniform? I haven't seen you dressed casually in a long time. It's nice." Shiemi beamed, causing Yukio to blush. Rin chucked at his brother a little, even though he received them quite regularly now Yukio still wasn't any better at taking compliments, not that he could really talk. Yukio gave a nervous laugh.  
"No well you see it's a matter regarding yourself actually, and as for why I'm not in uniform I've been given some time off for a few days. Rin and I are actually thinking of going to visit the monastery, while I don't have to work."  
"That's wonderful. I bet everyone's missed you both so much, they wouldn't have seen you for at least a couple months now right?"  
"Yes. It has been quite a while."  
Shiemi directed them to all sit on a garden bench that looked to have only recently installed under one of the trees towards the back of the garden.

"Now what did you both want to talk to me about Yuki, you sounded a little concerned. Nothing bad has happened has it?"  
"Everything's fine, it's just…" Yukio looked to Rin for help and was more than glad when his brother continued for him.  
"We've been talking to Amaimon, well he's been talking to us I guess," Rin forced out nervously with a slight laugh, he quickly continued to attempt to explain before he no doubt got scolded due to Shiemi's expression. "he's not as bad as he used to be, well he was never really bad. He was kinda just trying to play, as far as Gehenna standards go, but me and Yukio have been teaching him how to act in Assiah…" Rin was looking for more words but they didn't come and Shiemi still didn't appear convinced.  
"Have you forgotten he almost killed everyone, especially you Rin!?!" She exclaimed, looking to be almost at the end of a fuse.  
"No, but he didn't mean too, when he realized he apologized and everything." Rin still didn't really know what else he was saying, thankfully Yukio had finally seemed to find his words again.

"Shiemi, Amaimon's a bit like a child. While he's incredibly old and has lived a long time in Gehenna, Assiah is still new to him and he doesn't know how to act and what he's doing. Think of him like a toddler being introduced to a new toy. He's learnt how easy it is to break now and he wants to be more careful. At the time he didn't understand, and now it's been explained to him he feels bad about it."  
By the end of Yukio's explanation Shiemi had started to fiddle with her necklace, staring at it almost like she was sad; and then she did something that the twins hadn't expected. Shiemi gripped the necklace tighter as tears started to well up in her eyes and fall to her lap.  
"He came to apologize… and I… I slammed the door in his face…" She sobbed, wiping the tears from her eyes with her free hand.

Rin and Yukio recovered from their initial shock and started to try and comfort her. At times they forgot how fragile Shiemi was, they'd seen her grow so much over the last year that it now surprised them how easily she would cry when it came to misunderstandings of sincere emotions and cold-hearted actions.  
"Hey, there's no need to cry. It was actually my fault, I should have explained the situation before we showed him how to apologize properly. He knows that you were just afraid of him."  
"Amaimon doesn't blame you at all, trust me. If anything I'd say it's the opposite." Rin gave a sly smile and that both seemed to cheer Shiemi up and intrigue her.  
"What… What do you mean Rin?"  
"Well the reason he came to us in the first place was because he wanted to know what he had to do to get you to like him." Rin gave a small laugh at the end of his statement.  
"To use his words, he wants to court you." Yukio was still a little awkward discussing something like this, but it had to be done.

"Oh… Well I…" Shiemi was understandably hesitant on the idea, but the twins thought it necessary to explain further.  
"Before you make any sort of decision I think it's best if we explained a few things. Some of which we've been meaning to tell you anyway. However we'd appreciate of you didn't tell the others yet. We're still getting used to it ourselves and want to be comfortable before we go public."  
"Of course, you're secret is safe with me." Shiemi smiled, the statement was completely genuine as per usual.  
"Well as you might have guessed, both myself and Rin are full demons now." Shiemi nodded. "That has brought with it some issues, not just regarding our lives in general, but also a number of things have changed for us personally. We have to comply by demonic rules I guess you could say. Most of which are out of our control. One of those is that apparently demonic twins fall under a special category when it comes to partners. Demons don't have romantic partners in the same way humans do. They claim a mate and then are faithful to them usually until death. Most demons have seasons in which they can make this claim, its usually a mutual bond that's made just for the reassurance of a partner. It actually surprised me to learn how dependant demons are on the support of their mates, and how strong their protective and caring instincts are. That said Rin and myself are a special case, being twins we didn't get to decide on our um… partner… and well, we were designated for each other at birth." Both the twins went red, sure they were starting to get used of it, but saying and explaining was a whole different thing.

Shiemi took a moment to process Yukio's words, leaving the twins anxiously waiting in the meantime.  
"Are you both happy?"  
Rin smiled tenderly at Yukio giving a non-verbal answer while Yukio shuffled awkwardly, however a small smile eventually fought its way onto his lips.  
"I'm still getting comfortable with it, but I think we're both happier then we've been in a long time." Shiemi looked down in thought, both brothers still somewhat anxious.  
"Then I'm glad."  
"What? Seriously… you don't find it too weird?"  
"I guess it's a little weird, but as long as your both happy and like you said Yuki it's not something you can change." Shiemi reasoned with a soft smile. Yukio could tell she was a little hurt underneath, after all he knew she'd been gunning for him for some time. However she seemed to recover reasonably quickly, much to his relief.  
"Thank you Shiemi." In truth Yukio hadn't thought that even their closest friends would accept the situation they were in so easily, and that had worried him perhaps more than when they found out he was a demon.

"So… um, getting back to Amaimon. We were hoping you'd agree to at least meet with him this afternoon and give him a chance. However please don't take the decision to allow him to claim you lightly, it has to be a lifetime thing." Yukio questioned gently, he knew the topic may be a touchy one due to the past. Shiemi hesitated before she nodded.  
"I suppose that's okay. I need to apologize to him anyway."  
"Cool. We'll bring him by later then, I'm sure he'll be super excited." Rin gleamed. He seemed more enthusiastic about this then he probably should have been, but it could have just been that he was getting annoyed that they had a love-struck earth king bothering them at ungodly hours.

 

Oo…oO

 

They stayed for a little while longer before going home. Rin helped Ukobach with lunch in the kitchen while Yukio was upstairs, making a phone call to Nagatomo to see if they could visit the monastery. He seemed all too happy that the twins were planning a visit and said that he'd get the place ready so they could come as early as tomorrow. However he did have a condition that if they were coming Rin would have to cook for everyone, but Yukio assured him that he was sure that'd be fine. After telling him to say hi to the others for them Yukio hung up and went down for lunch, pleased to find they'd just finished up and Rin was bringing out the plates.

 

Oo…oO

 

The twins had barely finished eating (well hadn't in Yukio's case) when Amaimon arrived… using the door for a change. Rin got up to let him in and Yukio cleared the plates, giving them to Ukobach before meeting Rin and Amaimon in the hall. They told the earth king the good news before preparing to return to Shiemi's as per their agreement.  
"So where are you gonna take her? You remember what we said about dates right?" Rin asked as Yukio used his key to open the door to the supply shop.  
"Of course, but I haven't given it much thought. I have one place in mind, but I'm not sure if it would be too much."  
"Too much is probably better in this case." Yukio reassured, taking the key out and closing the door after they all went through.  
"Yeah Yukio's right I'd just go for it."

A small gin made its way onto the earth kings face as they got to the door. He looked to the twins as if asking if he was to knock or if it would be better if one of them did it. Yukio gave him a nod to go ahead and he tentatively stepped forward and gave the door a light knock. After he heard nothing he mustered up some more courage and knocked louder. This time he heard footsteps coming from inside and wall of nervousness washed over him as what happened the last time came to his mind. He was going to take a step back, but it was too late as the door was opening to reveal the beautiful flowered kimono that he'd come to love and when his eyes trailed up to the girl that wore it he couldn't fight the slight blush that overcame his cheeks. She was clearly nervous too but she seemed to have more confidence about her in that moment, which is perhaps why she spoke up first.  
"Umm… Hi. Yuki said that you didn't mean all the stuff you did and that you, umm, liked me." She started to fiddle with her necklace. "I guess I kind of figured that someone that could make something this beautiful couldn't be all bad so…"

Amaimon wasn't sure what he just heard. She was giving him a chance, just like that? He couldn't believe it, one word from his younger brothers and she was actually willing to potentially trust him.  
"Thank you." he eventually managed to force out. It was like something had hit him with hellfire. He'd never been this frozen up and awkward in his life. Frantically he searched for what the twins had been teaching him and he finally managed to get his thoughts in some kind of order.  
"I was wondering if you'd let me take you out on a date?" He decided to get straight to the point, because he was struggling enough as it was.  
"Umm… I don't know, I'm not really used of…" Shiemi started but Amaimon cut her off.  
"My little brothers could come too if you want? I'm sure you would like it, I've wanted to show you for a while." he reinforced.  
"Well if Rin and Yuki come, I guess that's alright?" She looked to the twins to make sure they didn't mind and they both gave a purposeful nod.

"Can we leave now?" Amaimon asked the group. He was increasably eager now that his nervousness seemed to be in vain.  
"That's alright with us. Shiemi?" Yukio confirmed.  
"Now? Well I guess that's okay, I'll have to get some things done first, but after that…"  
"Cool! We'll be back in an hour to pick you up, see you then." Rin proclaimed as he gave that classic grin of his and started to lead the others back down the path to the dorm.  
Amaimon stumbled a little under Rin's grip as he turned slightly, giving Shiemi a smile and a quiet goodbye before he got too far away for her to hear it.

"I think that went well. Now where exactly is it that we are going?" Yukio asked as they got back to the dorm.  
"My garden, I have a cabin there that we can stay the night in." The earth king explained.  
"You can't take Shiemi to Gehenna! What the hell!" Rin accused.  
"I know, my garden's not in Gehenna. Plants don't exactly grow there." Amaimon deadpanned, clearly annoyed at Rin's statement.  
"You mean to say that you have a garden in Assiah?" Yukio was surprised to say the least, he never really thought Amaimon was the type to own anything, let alone something in Assiah.  
"Not exactly, it's in its own little space. Big brother helped me make it."  
Of course it is, figures Mephesto would have a hand in this somewhere. Yukio didn't know why he hadn't expected this if he had to be honest.  
"Okay then, as long as it's safe. Do we need to take anything?"  
"Everything will be provided, but if you want anything special then…"  
"Sure thing. You're welcome to stay here, but Rin and myself are going upstairs to get ready. See you down here in about an hour." Amaimon nodded and Rin followed Yukio up the stairs.

 

Oo…oO

 

After the twins had packed they collected a very excited earth king before heading back over to the supply shop. Shiemi appeared to be ready and was waiting for them in the garden with a small bag full of things she thought she may need.  
"I hope you haven't been waiting long?"  
"Not at all Yuki, I actually only just finished up." She stated, her gaze traveling to Amaimon even before she was finished talking to him.  
"Hi." The earth king greeted, he seemed a little stiff through his excitement. His nerves betraying him it seems.  
"Hi…" Shiemi didn't appear to be much better however, which proved promising for Amaimon's chances.  
"I don't mean to break this up but we should probably get going, wherever it is you're actually taking us."  
"Of course." The earth king looked over to the large clearing in Shiemi's garden and raised a hand to it, muttering something repetitively under his breath. It wasn't long before the ground erupted with vines that weaved into each other forming a large circular structure. After it seemed to finish forming the middle fell away to reveal a portal. The earth king dropped his hand and walked towards the portal.  
"It's this way." He stated simply.

The twins shook themselves out of their daze, sometimes it was easy to forget exactly how powerful the earth king was. After nodding they followed Amaimon through the portal with Shiemi close behind them. When they got all the way through the group was frozen in awe. The "ceiling" of the gigantic area was covered in the same yellow crystal that was on the ground in Gehenna. However it looked like the sun was still above it, meaning it created what looked like millions of soft glittering light beams that illuminated the scenery; and what a scenery it was. Massive trees dotted the landscape that seemed to glow a brilliant green due to the light from above. Immaculately groomed foliage from shrubbery of all kinds bordered the stoned path that lay before them. Every colour of flower under the sun seemed to emerge from the surrounding plants like jewels in a sea of brilliant green. It was the most beautiful area they'd ever seen.

The twins eyes eventually caught sight of Amaimon again, who was now standing beside a bald man of medium build with dark caramel skin. He wore a white robe that gently flowed in the wind and had gold vines around the edges in an intricate design. Similar patterns ran down his arms and up his neck, coming to stop on the side of his face. They almost looked like tattoo's which were slightly darker than his skin tone, however the occasional yellow glow that pulsed through them told the twins different. Yukio was just about to greet the stranger when he heard a soft sob from behind him. The twins turned to see Shiemi unmoving with tears streaming down her face. Rin was there in an instant with a hand on her shoulder attempting to comfort his sobbing friend.  
"Shiemi, what's wrong? Are you okay?" He demanded.  
She composed herself the best she could and then looked to Amaimon. "This is it isn't it. The Garden of Amahara?" Her tone demanded an answer, the only time the twins had heard her that serious is when she was scolding them.  
The earth king simply nodded, not really knowing what else to say.

Shiemi couldn't stop crying for a few more minutes. She assured the twins that she was alright, it was just that she was finally in the place she'd been searching for all her life. The place that she'd dreamt about going to ever since she was little. The place her grandmother was always convinced she would one day find. When she settled down the man next to Amaimon came over to them.  
"Pardon me, young masters, mistress, if I may be so rude as to interrupt. My name is Simon, I am a dryad under the care of Master Amaimon. Welcome to the Garden of Amahara. I wish to make your stay as pleasant as possible; it's not often we have guests here, so if there's anything you need please don't hesitate to call on me at any time." Simon bowed politely at the group, and then turned back to Amaimon.  
"Would you like me to take them on a tour of the grounds while you check on things in the main house Sir?"  
"Is that alright?" The earth king asked Shiemi and the twins.  
"Of course." Yukio reassured, both Rin and Shiemi also nodded in agreement.

"Very well, I'll see you later Sir." Simon smiled and un-expectantly the two exchanged a hug before Amaimon took off in the direction of the main house. Simon then whistled and a small group of baby greenman emerged from the bushes.  
"Please take these bags to the main house and give them to Michelle to put in the guest rooms." The greenman gathered the groups bags and headed off in the same direction as Amaimon had only a few moments ago.  
"Now, if you would please follow me." Simon started walking down a path in the opposite direction and the group quickly walked after him.

"Um, excuse me for asking but I thought dryad didn't exist." Yukio questioned.  
"Not at all Young Master, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. We dryad only exist here in the garden of Amahara, and due to not many people even knowing about the garden, I believe that news of our existence is minimal at best. Even so, there's not that many of us. A dryad is a nature spirit created by a soul becoming one with nature after death. However our souls are handpicked by the Master himself, and upon death he gave us a choice. Become one with the garden, or go to rest."  
"Can you ever leave?"  
"No, we must stay here because our souls are now bonded with the garden, we wouldn't be able to exist outside of it. We may leave, but to do so would mean that we would no longer be tethered to Assiah."  
"I see. How long have you been here?"  
"Master Amaimon picked me up in Egypt a few thousand years ago. I knew him for a little while before death, however I didn't find out he was a demon king until I died. I'm the oldest still here. All of those that came before me have chosen to end their time in the garden and go to rest."

"What about you?" Rin spoke up.  
"Rin!" Yukio quietly scolded. "Forgive my brothers rudeness, you don't have to answer that."  
Simon looked thoughtful for a moment before he softened. "It's quite alright. I don't think I ever want to leave. Amaimon has always been a good friend to me even before I died. I don't really want to leave him, and I guess the garden has more or less become mine over the millennia. I feel responsible for it in a way I suppose."  
"I understand. It was odd seeing Amaimon actually hug someone if I'm being entirely honest. The only other one I've seen him that friendly with is Beelzebub." Yukio pondered.  
Simon gave a fond smile. "He does have trouble opening up to people, but he's one of the nicest people I've ever met."

They walked on in silence for a while, just taking in the amazing scenery, before the path seemed to open up a little bit and a large clearing lay before them.  
"One of our newer residents has requested to see you over your visit. She should be working in the area over there near the lake. Please have her guide you back to the main house in about an hour. I'll go get started on dinner in the meantime." He gave a bow before he headed off, leaving them to wonder who it was they were supposed to see. Seeing the lake at the edge of the clearing in the direction that Simon had gestured the group started to make the trip over. The closer they got the better they could see the area surrounding the lake. There was a cliff behind it where a small waterfall trickled down into the calm waters below creating a peaceful atmosphere that was accented by the reeds decorating the shoreline and waterlilies dotting the water's surface. Several oaks provided shade on the far side of the area and a decorative stone bench sat under the resultant shade, overlooking the lake. Next to them, tending to a small patch of flowers, was a short figure dressed in a white kimono with gold accents. She had light grey hair which was pulled up into a loose bun. As they got closer Yukio started to recognise her and it wasn't long before Shiemi let out a small gasp and was running ahead of them.

"Grandma!" Shiemi exclaimed as she neared the woman, who stood up and turned to greet her. Upon reaching her Shiemi practically jumped into her arms. Rin and Yukio made it over a few seconds later to find Mrs Moriyama comforting her granddaughter.  
"There, there, Shiemi.. Come now, stop those tears. We have company after all." She reasoned. (A/N: going on the basis that Yukio and Shiemi's grandmother haven't met. Not sure if this is right or not though. I couldn't find confirmation so…) "You must be the Young Masters. I hope you're enjoying your time in the garden so far."  
"Yes, very much so… It's nice to finally meet you Mrs Moriyama. Shiemi talks a lot about you."  
Shiemi blushed, embarrassed by Yukio's statement.  
"Does she now… all good things I hope." Mrs Moriyama laughed.  
"Grandma!" Shiemi accused, seemingly shocked that her grandmother thought she would be saying anything else.  
"I'm only joking my dear."

"Hey Yukio, how about we go over there for a bit." Rin motioned over to the stone bench.  
"Great idea Rin. I'm sure you both have a lot to catch up on however, Simon asked if you could guide us back to the main house in an hour."  
"I would be happy to."

 

Oo…oO

 

When they got to the main house having Amaimon describe it as a "cabin" was definitely a misuse of the word. It was a giant, elaborately carved, stone house at least as big as the dorms the twins lived in. However when they entered "cabin" seemed to fit a lot better. The inside had an incredibly warm, homey vibe, considering the building was made out of stone. The smell of some sort of casserole wafted through the building, hopefully what they were having for dinner as it smelled amazing, at least good enough to rival Rin's cooking. They were greeted by Simon upon entry.  
"I'm glad you could make it, everyone else is already seated in the dining hall, dinner's just being served."

They followed him up a set of stairs and down a hallway and the twins nearly spat in disbelief as they entered the room.  
"NEUHAUS!? What the hell!?!" Rin yelled.  
"Mr Neuhaus?!" Yukio managed to be more reserved then his brother but was equally surprised.  
"Michelle!" Shiemi exclaimed excitedly as she went over to greet the women sitting next to him.  
"Mistress Shiemi, it's wonderful to see you again." She smiled as she stood and gave the girl a hug.  
"Oh great it's you two." Neuhaus muttered, clearly annoyed. Michelle turned to him and wacked him over the head.  
"Igor Neuhaus! You know the rules, apologize to the Young Masters immediately." She scolded.

Rin had a hard time not laughing but by some miracle he managed to keep composed.  
"Please accept my apology." Neuhaus requested as he bowed his head. It was clear he didn't really mean it but he was formal about it none the less. "However understand that I have no intention of calling either of you Young Master."  
"We understand."  
"And as reluctant as I am to do so I must thank the two of you. It's partly because of you both that I am able to live happily with my wife again."  
Rin and Yukio nodded understanding and took a seat at the table across from them, Shiemi sat next to the twins, whilst Simon sat down opposite her and Mrs Moriyama took the spot next to Neuhaus. The far end of the large table was full of other dryads all chatting quietly amongst themselves.

It wasn't long before Amaimon came in, sitting at the head of the table next to Shiemi and Simon, and dinner commenced. The lids were lifted off the hotpots that scattered the table and if the glorious smell that wafted through the house upon their entry wasn't strong enough already it was now. Rin was surprised his mouth wasn't actually watering as he hastily grabbed a ladle of the food and tipped it into his plate. It was clear the vegetables were fresh from the garden, no doubt picked earlier in the day. The quality of the ingredients was a million times better than anything he could hope to find anywhere near True Cross and after grabbing a piece of bread he didn't hesitate digging in.

 

Oo…oO

 

As they ate the twins engaged in some light conversation with those around them, however it was Shiemi that seemed most at ease. She had seemingly completely come out of her usual shell and was eagerly conversing with everyone around her, talking about complex gardening stuff that easily went over even Yukio's head. Amaimon spent most of the time fondly smiling at the girl, but partook in the conversation occasionally. Towards the end of the meal Shiemi grew more distant however, she seemed to be thinking about something and eventually spoke up.  
"I've made my decision. Amaimon, my answer is yes."  
"What?!" Yukio exclaimed. "Shiemi, please don't rush into this. Remember what I said."  
"I remember, and I'm not rushing into it. I wouldn't make this decision unless I was absolutely sure, but I've never felt more at home." Shiemi blushed over her statement, but spoke purposefully.  
"As long as you're sure, we'll support the two of you."  
"I'm glad." Rin gave a soft smile. "I've always known how much you liked Yukio, and when I became a demon I worried… it kinda felt like I was stealing him, but now to see you happy…"  
"Rin…" Shiemi gave him a reassuring smile.

 

Oo…oO

 

They talked for a bit longer before the twins decided to retire for the night, leaving Amaimon, Shiemi and a few of the others still talking. Simon guided them to their room before bidding the twins goodnight and going back downstairs. They'd been set up in one of the master suites. It had a large en-suite and what appeared to be a king size bed. Rin appreciated the bed more than Yukio though as it meant he could stretch out his wings when he didn't have them wrapped around his brother. It was a nice change compared to the cramped single bed they had back at the dorm. (Yukio might have to do something about that.) It had certainly been an interesting day, but they were much more excited and nervous for their trip to the monastery the coming day.

 

 

A/N: Please forgive any inconsistencies in my writing, I'm a bit rusty from having so long off. Also quick question... do you guys want me to draw anything in particular from this series??? Like maybe any of the demon kings? or Gehenna... maybe the twins in demon form? Not promising anything but ideas will certainly go on my "to draw" list and I'll try to get to them (*＾▽＾)／


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